Courts: Fees

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What impact the increases in court fees in the Family Proceedings Order (SI 2008/1054) will have on access to courts for care proceedings involving attempts to force children to marry against their will.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The increases only affect fees paid for by local authorities, not individuals, and each local authority has been given additional money to pay for the increases.
	Children's services have a statutory obligation to protect the interests of children; it would be unlawful for them to avoid taking care proceedings for financial reasons.
	Proceedings under the Forced Marriages Act are not affected by these fee increases.

Department of Health: Annual Reports

Lord Grocott: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which annual reports the Department of Health is required by Acts of Parliament to produce; and, in each case, what is the authorising Act.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Department publishes the Chief Medical Officer's annual report on the state of the public health, although responsibility for the contents rests with the Chief Medical Officer rather than the Government. This report is produced pursuant to Section 5 of the Public Health Act 1859.
	The department also lays before Parliament a variety of annual reports pursuant to Acts of Parliament on behalf of other bodies such as the Food Standards Agency and the Health Protection Agency.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of stem cell lines currently deposited in the UK Stem Cell Bank were derived from embryos cultured for more than 14 days.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The UK Stem Cell Bank does not hold any stem cell lines derived from human embryos cultured for more than 14 days as this would not be permitted under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990.

Energy: Alternative Sources

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will encourage further research through the Natural Environment Research Council's support for the centre for hydrology at Lancaster into finding alternative heat and energy sources for domestic and commercial buildings.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) jointly funds the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) which in turn supports work undertaken at the Lancaster site of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH). The UKERC adopts a whole-systems approach to energy generation, supply and use, and the CEH leads projects under the UKERC's environmental sustainability theme. This research includes life-cycle assessment of energy-generation technologies, which will contribute towards the UKERC's Energy 2050 report, expected to be published next year. NERC and the other research councils responsible for funding the UKERC are currently considering funding a second phase of this activity from 2009.

Health: Organophosphates

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Answer by Lord Rooker on 28 April (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 2), what was the purity of the organophosphate diazinon tested by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority reported in part 2, "Preliminary Review Findings", volume 2 of 2 Technical Reports, June 2006; and how this compares with the quality of that found in organophosphate sheep dips at point of use in the United Kingdom.

Lord Rooker: The diazinon used for the Australian review was 90 per cent technical-grade material. Similarly, 90 per cent technical-grade diazinon is also used by the manufacturers of the three sheep-dip products available in the UK.

Health: Organophosphates

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to studies carried out in the United Kingdom and in the United States on the relationship between levels of paraoxonase 1 in humans and their ability to detoxify metabolites of certain organophosphate products; and whether the research findings influence their assessment of the health effects of exposure of people to organophosphate sheep dips.

Lord Rooker: The preliminary advice from the Committee on Toxicity (COT) on the paraoxonase 1 research carried out in the United Kingdom was that individuals who metabolise organophosphates (OPs) most quickly are more likely to report ill health. This is the reverse of the tested hypothesis.
	As a part of the preliminary advice, COT stated that there would be a need to review all the available research in order to advise on the current state of knowledge regarding OPs. Accordingly, the review is in progression and will include all work from across the scientific community, including that carried out in the USA. Completion of the review is not anticipated before late 2009. The final advice from COT on paraoxonase and the other aspects of the possible link between OPs and human health will become available once COT has considered all the evidence.
	The Government must wait for the final advice from COT before the significance of the research into the possible link between organophosphates and human health can be fully considered.

Health: Organophosphates

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What research has been conducted since 1985 to determine the residue ratios of diazinon to diazoxon and persistence over time along the wool-processing product line; and whether any further research will be commissioned.

Lord Rooker: The Government have not conducted any research in this area and currently do not have any plans to do so in the future.

Health: Organophosphates

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What data are available on the diazoxon content of diazinon sheep-dip residues; and whether diazoxon is ever detected as a metabolite in humans after they have operated such dips.

Lord Rooker: Samples of sheep kidney fat are analysed as part of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate's national surveillance scheme for residues of diazinon. The marker residue for calculating whether residues detected have breached the maximum residue limit, as laid down in Annexe I of Council regulation 2377/90, is the parent compound (diazinon). The analytical method used for the surveillance programme does not therefore check for residues of diazoxon and so no data are held.
	In humans, research has been carried out on enzymes such as paraoxonase which hydrolyse diazoxon. However, the Government have not specifically commissioned studies of diazoxon in humans.

Health: Organophosphates

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Answer by Lord Rooker on 28 April (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 4), what sum has been allocated to the Committee on Toxicity for the literature review on organophosphates; when the review began; and why it will not be complete before the end of 2009.

Lord Rooker: Responsibility for the preparation of the literature review on organophosphates and drafting of papers for consideration by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) rests with the Health Protection Agency side of the COT secretariat working with the DH Toxicology Unit. This will be done using existing resources and there are no additional funds available. The literature searches have been started. The secretariat is also liaising with VIVID and the PSD regarding published literature identified by these organisations.
	COT has requested that a systematic review of all the published data should be carried out, including those published prior to the previous report of 1999. This is to ensure comprehensive coverage of the literature. It is anticipated that several hundred papers will need to be obtained and assessed. Summaries will need to be prepared and submitted to COT. This is likely to take until autumn 2008. Also, the government research work that is expected to be completed near the end of 2008 will need to be considered. The secretariat will draft an outline statement in the light of the committee's discussion and will have to respond to queries from members. A complex topic of this size will need to be considered by the committee over several meetings.
	The work will be carried out as expediently as possible, consistent with the need for comprehensive coverage of the data and adequate consideration by committee members. It is unlikely that this work will be completed before the end of 2009.

Health: Training

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to ensure that any underspending of multiprofessional training and education budgets by strategic health authorities in 2007-08 is returned to education and training in 2008-09.

Lord Darzi of Denham: No steps are being taken by the department to ensure that any underspend in the 2007-08 multiprofessional education and training budget is returned to education and training in 2008-09. This is a local matter and it is the responsibility of strategic health authorities to spend the money according to local priorities.

Immigration: Georgia

Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether relevant Ministers have been made aware of the wording in the decision of the immigration and asylum appeal tribunal in the case of Anna Zurabishvili (No VA/27417/2007).

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Ministers have not been made aware of the wording in this decision. The decision of the tribunal was a judicial one and it is a fundamental part of our constitution that the judiciary are independent of the Government. Because of this, Ministers are only informed of decisions in exceptional cases when policy is affected.

Israel and Palestine: West Bank

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress is being made with the Government of Israel to lift movement restrictions in the West Bank.

Lord Malloch-Brown: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Defence Minister Barak on 2 April to follow up his announcements on movement and access, and to press for rapid implementation. The issue was addressed at a series of high-level meetings in London on 2 May involving Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad and Israeli Foreign Minister Livni. The quartet in its statement following the meetings noted some positive steps, including the removal of some roadblocks and an outpost by Israel, but noted that much more remained to be done.

Israel: Human Rights

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What recent discussions they have had with other states in the European Union about Israel's compliance with international law and human rights.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the actions and policies of Israel are matters of ongoing concern which we regularly discuss with our European partners, including at the last EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 29 April.

Maldives: Elections

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will make representations to the Government of the Maldives to ensure that the election process leading up to the October election is free and fair.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The UK is providing financial support for Commonwealth efforts to improve the Maldivian legislative electoral framework. Free, fair and credible elections are a crucial element of democratic reform in Maldives. I emphasised this to Dr Mohamad Asim, the Maldivian high commissioner, whom I met in March. We will continue to do so. I also made clear that the freedom of politicians and political parties to be able to campaign and debate was a cornerstone of democracy.

Natural Environment Research Council

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will provide extra funding to increase the proportion of Natural Environment Research Council Co-Operative Award in Science and Engineering studentships awarded above the present 30 per cent level.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) received an allocation of £1.236 billion from the science budget for the current CSR Period. NERC is responsible for determining the priorities for support, including the funding allocated to studentships. NERC currently awards 30 per cent of its studentships in the form of Co-operative Awards in Science and Engineering (CASE) studentships. This proportion is above the average for the research councils as a whole. NERC continues to promote the benefits of CASE studentships.

Prisons: Liverpool

Baroness Stern: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When resources will be made available to upgrade the catering facilities at Liverpool prison.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Subject to the resolution of certain cost issues, the upgrade of the kitchen at Liverpool prison is scheduled to start in September 2008 and become operational in the late summer of 2009.

Rule of Law

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the work of the European Union and the Council of Europe on the rule of law in eastern and south-eastern Europe is appropriately planned, co-ordinated and effective; and whether they will propose any reforms, particularly concerning the independence of lawyers and barristers.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The rule of law is a key UK priority in the Council of Europe (CoE) and for the EU in its external relations. All the countries of south-eastern Europe, except Kosovo, are members of the CoE and therefore subject to its standards on the rule of law and monitoring procedures. The Committee of Ministers of the CoE has a long-standing recommendation relating to the freedom for lawyers to exercise their profession.
	The EU and CoE co-operate on the promotion of democratic stability and peace. They have more joint programmes in the western Balkans than any other region.
	More than a decade of effective co-operation between the European Commission and the CoE under numerous joint programmes has delivered solid results in support of the rule of law. The ongoing reform programme will ensure that the management of these programmes and projects will improve in terms of effective co-ordination and planning.

Russia: Legal System

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether in bilateral and multilateral dialogue with the Government of Russia they are discussing (a) the effective protection of defence counsel; (b) the independence of judges; (c) limitations on pre-trial detention; (d) greater use of bail; (e) extensions of the use of trial by jury; (f) development of alternatives to custody; (g) the incidence of serious diseases among prisoners; and (h) strengthening the powers and resources of the ombudsman.

Lord Malloch-Brown: We raise penal and judicial reform with the Russian authorities as part of our wider dialogue on human rights, both in our annual bilateral human rights consultations and through the EU.
	We discussed judicial reform, specifically the issue of the independence of judges, in our bilateral human rights consultations in January 2007. The next round of human rights talks is planned for later this year. We have increased our dialogue on judicial reform and our ambassador in Moscow has had meetings with a number of Russian judges and lawyers, where the importance of judicial independence has arisen.
	A high priority is helping Russia address the overcrowding in prisons, due to the slow introduction of alternatives to imprisonment, and abuse of prisoners by both other prisoners and prison officers. We also have concerns about the fact that overcrowding, poor diet and little exercise are contributing to sanitation and health problems. The majority of prisoners suffer from serious health problems, with hepatitis, tuberculosis and HIV/Aids all major issues. The Russian authorities are well aware of and share our concerns. Most recently in his 2007 report, Human Rights Ombudsman Lukin said, "the conditions of custody in many penitentiaries are actually similar to torture".
	We are currently working with the Russian Government in several ways to address these problems:
	officials in our embassy in Moscow are currently organising a study tour to the UK for two Russian Ministry of Justice officials to look at alternative sanctions, including electronic monitoring, to address the issue of prison overcrowding;we are funding a project to introduce a system of public inspectors for prisons in Siberia and other regions of the country; andwe are providing funding to a non-governmental organisation, which is working with prison authorities to combat the issues of torture and address the high number of complaints of beatings and abuse by penitentiary personnel.
	In the last EU/Russia human rights meeting, held on 17 April, the EU raised the issue of penal reform and asked Russia for an assessment of developments in Russian prisons and pre-trial detention centres, particularly what measures had been taken to allay problems of overcrowding, ill treatment and abuse of prisoners by other prisoners.

Russia: Prisoners

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have made representations to the Government of Russia about (a) the increase in the numbers of prisoners since 2004; and (b) the number of programmes for rehabilitating offenders.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The Government raise penal reform with the Russian Government in our annual bilateral human rights consultations. Our key concern is the overcrowding in prisons, due to the slow introduction of alternatives to imprisonment. As a result, officials in our embassy in Moscow are currently organising a study tour to the UK for two Russian officials from their Ministry of Justice to look at alternative sanctions, including electronic monitoring to address this issue.
	In the last EU/Russia human rights meeting, held on 17 April, the EU raised the issue of penal reform and asked Russia for an assessment of developments in Russian prisons and pre-trial detention centres, particularly what measures had been taken to allay problems of overcrowding, ill treatment and abuse of prisoners by other prisoners.

Russia: Rule of Law

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will study issue number six of the EU-Russia review on Russia and the rule of law, with a view to raising further points in dialogue with Russia.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The rule of law is a key element of the UK's and EU's engagement with Russia. In 2007-08 the Government provided £1.2 million for projects supporting human rights, conflict prevention and civil society in Russia, which includes work on strengthening the judiciary. We welcome President Medvedev's public commitment to strengthening the rule of law in Russia and look forward to working with the new Russian Administration on the issue.
	We welcome the EU-Russia Centre's contribution to the debate as part of our ongoing discussions with think tanks and the non-governmental organisation community.

Somalia: Arms and Ammunition

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have proposals for limiting supplies of arms and ammunition reaching Somalia.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The UK plays a leading role in the drafting process of key UN Security Council resolutions on the issue of arms and ammunition supplies reaching Somalia.
	UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 733 of 23 January 1992 established an embargo on all delivery of weapons and military equipment to Somalia, which, with some exemptions, remains in place.
	Most recently, UNSCR 1811 of 29 April 2008 extended the mandate of the monitoring group that was established to monitor the arms embargo in Somalia. This resolution requests the monitoring group to recommend ways to improve implementation of and compliance with the embargo.

Taxation: Landfill Tax

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 4 March (Official Report, Commons, 2274W-76W), how much the landfill tax is expected to return in 2008-09; and on what the amount above the £155 million earmarked for business resource efficiency will be spent.

Lord Rooker: Table C6 of Budget 2008 projects landfill tax receipts for 2008-09 of £1.1 billion. This figure is based on an increase in the standard rate of landfill tax as announced in Budget 2007. In addition, Budget 2007 confirmed that the additional tax revenue from business as a result of the increase in the landfill tax escalator would fund the reductions in corporation tax, which it also announced. The £155 million of expenditure, to which the questioner refers, forms part of Defra's overall settlement for the Comprehensive Spending Review period (2008-13).

Trees

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will undertake an interdepartmental study into the health effects of increased tree planting.

Lord Rooker: Trees and woodlands are an important resource that make a positive contribution to health and well-being, and tree planting is essential to sustain and enhance these effects. A study specifically on the health effects of increased tree planting has not been undertaken, and there are no plans to do so.

Turkey

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of Turkey's compliance with its obligations to the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe during the years in which the Islamic political parties Welfare and Virtue and the secular parties HEP, DEP and HADEP were dissolved, and with regard to the present threat to dissolve the Democratic Society Party.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The Government monitor the human rights situation in Turkey closely. It is for the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to provide a formal assessment of Turkey's compliance with CoE and OSCE obligations.
	The European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) is the leading European authority on constitutional assistance. The Commission's guidelines on prohibition and dissolution of political parties make it clear that closure of political parties can only be justified when parties advocate the use of violence or use violence as a political means to overthrow the democratic constitutional order.
	The UK also expects Turkey to implement the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in full and to reform the law on political parties in line with the standards established by the court, as set out in successive European Commission annual progress reports.

Women: Conflict Negotiation

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are encouraging the participation of women in negotiations to end violent conflicts around the world; and whether the protection of children has a high priority in all programmes for relief and reconstruction.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Women have a crucial role to play in delivering sustainable peace and security in conflict areas. The UK was a driving force behind the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in 2000. Our National Action Plan for UNSCR 1325 commits to work to increase the number of women at senior decision-making levels in conflict resolution and peace-building in UK and international institutions and civil society. In October 2007 the UK supported a UN Security Council presidential statement which urged the UN "to enhance the role of women in decision-making with regard to all peace processes and post-conflict reconstruction".
	We also encourage the implementation of these principles in specific conflicts. For example, we supported language in UNSCR 1812 (April 2008) mandating the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan. This encouraged the mission to emphasise "the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building". The UK supports programmes to promote the involvement of women in conflict resolution. For example, last year we started funding a £3.2 million programme with the UN Development Fund for Women to support women's engagement in peace-building and reduction of gender violence in conflict and post-conflict countries, including Afghanistan, Liberia, Rwanda and Uganda.
	The UK places the protection of civilians, including children, at the centre of its humanitarian action. We support the UN Children's Fund with £4 million per year, to lead, co-ordinate and strengthen the capacity of the humanitarian system in specific areas, including child protection. In addition, the UK is providing £1.3 million (2006-11) to Save the Children-UK, to develop and train a stand-by roster of 46 emergency child protection officers, able to deploy rapidly to respond to the protection needs of children affected by conflict or natural disasters. Civil society organisations applying to the Department for International Development's Civil Society Challenge Fund, and the Governance and Transparency Fund to work with children, are also required to have a written child protection policy. The UK will continue to encourage the participation of women in efforts to prevent and resolve conflict, and afford a high priority to the protection of children in our programmes for relief and reconstruction.